in love and war
by whimsyappletea
Summary: "There's something important I've got to show you." —and it's nothing short of a miracle. Lenrin among other pairings; spin-off to 'recollections'.
1. drabble set 1

**a/n:** IM FINALLY DONEEEE. it took me a while (read: six months) to finish everything id planned for the robotverse, but that was only because i didn't want to drop this fic halfway—at least now you can expect an update every week HELLA

okay so this series is basically just drabbles of some scenes that were mentioned/implied in _recollections_, or scenes that wrap up some things in the original fic. you will find a grand total of: lenrin (of course), past!onesided!lenmiku, mikuomiku, kaitomeiko, rintolenka, and two shippable grandchildren ocs with the Most Unoriginal Mash-Up Names ever lol

this is written for the fans who loved recollections—because frankly i love it too hahah—and also specially dedicated to **aquathyst**, who has been unbelievably patient waiting for this fic and waiting for me to reply to her PMs sweats nervously ;; THIS IS FOR YOU OKAY :D!

special thanks as always to _Mockingtale Bright_ for encouraging (pressuring) me to finish this pfpfpfft

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"_Yet I wish I could share my heart with you once again..."_

The male slipped into the music room, closing the door behind him with a barely-audible click. _She was singing again_, he mused. Singing something beautiful, truly beautiful, like the echoes of angels. He wanted to etch this song into his memory-bank for years to come—every note, every breath, every tiniest detail.

"_So now I'll try sending the remnants of those ties if I can..."_

He marvelled at the clear, sweet quality of her voice, climbing higher and reaching for the stars. It reminded him greatly of those peculiar romance novels she liked to read so much, of a feeling that was warm and bubbling and overflowing in his chest.

"_But like rain, gently falling down to earth on the wind, they're—"_

His eyes traced the way her nimble fingers glided across the keys fluidly, the way her teal pigtails swayed with her movements. It was lovely.

"_Fluttering and fluttering away..."_

She was so, very lovely.

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**in love and war  
>drabble set 1: miku, len, rin<strong>

_with a breath of joy,  
>i sang of spring's arrival along with the chirping birds—<br>"your voice is beautiful," you told me._

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The sound of applause roused Miku from the spell her music had woven around her, prompting her to tilt her head in the direction of the sound.

"Len," she murmured, offering a practiced, demure smile in greeting—but all the training in the world couldn't keep her smile from wavering at his expression, resting on her like she was the moon, the stars, the sky.

She remembered him rocking on the heels of his feet, hands clasped behind his back and eyes holding a touch of hope. Remembered him telling her, quiet but rippling in impact: "_Mistress Miku, I... I believe I've fallen in love with you._"

_I don't return your feelings_, was what she'd thought of saying immediately after. _I have committed a sin, a terrible sin, because I love someone else, someone too close—don't you see? Can't you tell?_

The smile finally slipped from her face, leaving nothing but a grim line.

Miku returned her attention to the piano, to the starkness of the black and white keys that she wished were part of her reality, instead of the blurred grey that smudged the lines of her morals. "Do you not have other duties to attend to?" She asked, ice piercing her words.

He flinched a little at her tone, but the adoring spark in his eyes never left. "Not really," he said, and ventured carefully, "Does... Mistress Miku not want me here?"

_Don't look at me like that_, she wanted to snap forcefully, if only to rid the family android of his affection for a little while. _Like I'm something precious, fragile. I'm not. I'm _not_. I don't love you. I _don't_._

His adoration for her was like a rock weighing down her heart, heavy and suffocating. Trying not to think about Len made her think about the person she loved, in turn making her feel even _worse_.

She just wanted these sick, ugly feelings of hers to go away.

But what if she _could_ make one of her problems go away, perhaps literally?

She considered her options. There were a few loose ends she would have to tie up for this idea to work, but at this point she'd do anything to make things right, even if it was just going out on a limb to solve the issue at hand.

"No," Miku said finally. "No, that is not the case. Actually, Len, I think I need you to run an errand for me."

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It took Rin a while to register the fact that the supposedly-dead dude was kissing her. Like, on the lips. Inclusive of extra action, too, with his lips moving against hers and doing the thing to try and deepen the kiss—

As soon as she processed this particular piece of information, the male found himself becoming airborne for a fleeting moment before crashing a good distance away from her.

"Ow…" He groaned, propping himself up on one elbow. Getting kicked in the head and landing on your head again a few seconds later was not the most pleasant thing in the world. "Mistress, not so _hard_…"

Her face caught fire at the unintended innuendo. "YOU'RE DEAD," she squawked, pointing a shaky finger at him. "HOW ARE YOU _TALKING_?"

The male blinked. "Does Mistress not want me to talk?"

"WHO'S YOUR MISTRESS?!"

His curious expression turned into something a great deal more confused and concerned. "Well, _you_ are... oh, Mistress, are you alright? Your face looks really red..."

Rin covered her heated cheeks with her hands in embarrassment. "S-STOP CALLING ME THAT, YOU PERVERT!" She scrambled up and stormed away, fully intent on slamming the front door on this crazy person and moping over her stolen first kiss, but—the male was trotting after her rather obediently. "GAH, STOP FOLLOWING ME, OR I SWEAR I'LL CALL THE POLICE ON YOU—"

She choked when he placed a large, warm hand over the crown of her head, one corner of his mouth quirking up to form a grin. "Mistress is very loud," he said cheerfully, slipping past her and into the house.

The girl stared after him for a full minute, a blush lighting up her whole face, before snapping out of it and blustering, "W-WHA—I JUST—HEY, YOU _ASS_, GET BACK HERE!"

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"You stink," she stated bluntly.

Len cocked his head a couple of degrees, wondering if he had heard right. Humans were still kind of hard to comprehend sometimes, and he was pretty sure it could be said as an insult, so— "I'm... sorry?"

"No, really," the girl insisted, leaning over to sniff him and wrinkling her nose in distaste. "What are you, _Robot versus Wild_? You smell like you haven't bathed in ten thousand years."

"I've never had this… 'bath'," he stuttered, averting his gaze to his lap like he had something to hide, where he was lacing and unlacing his fingers together awkwardly. "What is it?"

Rin sighed in response, rubbing her temples and doing her best to be patient. She really should've known better, though—Len was still a robot, no matter how real and humanoid he seemed. "Looks like I'll have to demonstrate, huh."

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"You're supposed to rub it against yourself like this. The more you rub, the more bubbles of soap you get. Here, you try it."

"...it feels strange."

"Yeah, well, you better hold onto it properly, because that thing is—"

"WAH!"

"—slippery. Oh, great, I guess I'll have to rinse the floor later when I clean up."

"I am so sorry, Mistress Rin, perhaps I could just—"

"HOLY—DON'T GET OUT FROM THE TUB _NOW_, YOU IDIOT—"

Good lord, she was only fourteen; this was starting to get ridiculous, Rin fumed, storming out of the bathroom in a fluster and leaving behind the soap-suds-covered male she'd just kicked upside the head—again.

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, Hatsune Miku's _Hirari, Hirari_, or Kagamine Len and Rin's _Seasonal Feathers_.


	2. drabble set 2

**a/n:** aaaand we are now back with the second round! i forgot to mention that these drabbles actually take place in chronological order, altho there will be time skips in-between. they arent very obvious, but i hope you can still tell the ages eheh ;;

also im enormously grateful for the faves and the follows, but is it too much to ask for some feedback? while ive already finished this series, im still curious to know if theres anything you liked or disliked about the drabble sets through reviews. they really help fuel my writing muse haaa owo!

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"Shimoda-chan, Shimoda-chan, who was that guy this morning?!"

_Oh, great_, Rin cringed. Her female classmates had caught wind about the 'mysterious cross-country-worthy guy who'd pulled a kiss-and-run on Shimoda', and now her desk was crowded around by boy-crazy, fairly typical nice girls. How wonderful.

See, _this_ was precisely why she'd told him to keep a low profile, but what did he stupidly do? _Kiss her on the forehead and jump over the bloody school gates_, that's what he stupidly did.

"He's..." She began, only to falter. What _was_ she going to refer to him as, when she didn't even know herself? She tried again. "He's..."

"That guy looked so much like you," one of the girls gushed before she could finish her sentence, leaning in eagerly for the latest scoop. "Is he, like, related to you, by any chance?"

She grasped the unintentional opening given to her like a lifeline. "Yes—_yes_, he's related to me," she said as casually as she could, keeping her expression crucially, crucially neutral. "I—he's my—uh, he's my unc—I MEAN COUSIN."

_Yeah, real smooth_, Rin groaned internally as she took a sip of water from her bottle. 'Uncle'_, really?_

"Cousin, I _knew_ it!" Another girl squealed, looking as though she'd hit the jackpot with her profound guessing skills. "Say, are you two dating?"

The water that was supposed to go down her throat went airborne, hitting a third girl in the face, but that was the least of her problems. "What."

The first girl who had spoken waggled her eyebrows, while the rest of them began to giggle behind their dainty, perfectly manicured hands. "Ooh, is that a guilty expression I see?"

"_What._"

Her, dating a robot? That sounded stupid, if not near impossible.

Of course, her classmates didn't know the truth about Len, assuming him to be a hotshot prince charming or superhero of some sort, so she supposed she could let it slide—

"You two are, like, my new OTP!"

—oh, _hell_ no.

Rin mourned for the peace she would sorely miss as she placed her head down on the desk; she mourned even more when she realized it was still Monday and there was a long week ahead of her.

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**in love and war  
>drabble set 2: len, rin<strong>

_as long as i can be with you, my world will keep on expanding—  
>almost like an angel's wings, will my heart also take off?<em>

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"Why," she griped. "Why are we doing this. _Why have I agreed to this._"

"Don't worry, Mistress Rin, it'll be fine!" He offered a guileless smile to reassure the girl in his arms—though she didn't _feel_ particularly reassured, since he followed up the statement by taking off into a run and leaping clear off the top of the school building.

"THIS IS _INSANE_," Rin screeched over the wind howling in her ears as she clung to him for dear life. She had made bad decisions before, but she really should've thought better from the moment he told her he'd discovered a 'shorter route'.

Unfortunately she still had yet to master the art of rejecting an overly-eager android who just wanted to help; the expectant puppy-eyed expression he'd mustered didn't help matters.

"BUT IT'S _FUN_," Len yelled back cheerfully, making sure his grip on her legs and back were as steady as possible to ensure her safety. He would never do anything to bring harm to his mistress, but it never hurt to be careful.

As he jumped from roof to roof in the direction of her home, Rin could only mentally chalk this up as one of those things you learnt to get used to when you were housing a robot—right up there with eating green eggs since they looked 'more appetizing' and watching television for hours in a language you don't understand because he wanted to record it in his database.

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Len scrolled through the article he'd found through his search engine, glossing over the information and processing everything with solemn concentration.

He then turned his gaze towards the pile of cleaning supplies he had dug out from random places around the house, all of which were precariously leaning on top of each other and threatening to fall over any time.

"So I just... take this contraption and clean...?" The male murmured, leaning over to pick up the smooth, wooden surface of the mop's handle. He eyed it for a moment's hesitance, before nodding to himself encouragingly.

"Sounds easy enough."

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He paused in his movements when he heard the sound of the front door opening, turning to offer a sunny grin and an enthusiastic wave at the girl. "Welcome home, Mistress Rin!"

"Oh, hey Le—_what in the name of orange heaven are you doing_."

Indeed, it was a good question—it wasn't every day that you would come home to the sight of an android standing on a step-ladder and holding a mop up casually, with what looked like flecks of soapy detergent dotting the ceiling.

"I'm doing what Mistress Rin usually does to clean the dishes," Len replied cheerfully, having observed the way she kept the house in a state of order and cleanliness while the rest of her family were at work.

"...by mopping the ceiling."

"Yep!"

Rin stared. Shook her head once to clear it, and stalked towards the kitchen. She was starting to get used to his strange antics, anyway. "I'll... pretend I understand that ridiculous notion and go put the clothes to wash."

He perked up, his smile widening as he jumped off the highest step of the step-ladder with perfect ease and plodded after her. "Oh, you don't have to!" At her questioning side-glance, he continued, "I already washed the—"

_BOOM!_

"—clothes."

She spluttered, looking down at the mass of frothing bubbles covering the both of them from waist-down and back at the male. He seemed equally confused, blinking innocently.

And then, after a beat of silence: "I could help clean you up—"

"Don't." The girl lifted a hand, shaking her head again in stunned disbelief as she waded towards the washing machine to check for collateral damage. Maybe getting used to his strange antics would take a lot more time than she'd thought. "Please, just… _don't_."

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, or Hatsune Miku's _Electric Angel_ (although i was picturing the gigap x lenrin cover of this song).


	3. drabble set 3

**a/n:** i have too many characters here to fit under ffnets character tags oAo;;; either way, happy (belated) halloween everyone! enjoy the fluffy 'treat' in this drabble set heheh

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Being friends with Meiko required a certain degree of fortitude.

"This moment... next time, I will for youuuu—hold out my _haaaaand_—" She sang brokenly with gusto, swinging her legs back and forth in a petulant manner.

"Don't do that, Mei-chan, you'll fall," Kaito scolded with no real bite. He was carrying her on his back, arms locked around her knees securely as he trudged on.

It wasn't like Meiko to get drunk on a school night; it was just that she'd noticed how strung-up he had seemed after attending the funeral out of respect for Shimoda, and how _sad_ he had looked about his female student losing both parents at once...

The woman had suggested going out for a drink in a heartbeat, hoping it would soothe his nerves—even though they both knew she had a lack of self-restraint when it came to alcohol consumption.

The least he could do for his childhood friend and fellow colleague was to take her home.

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**in love and war  
>drabble set 3: kaito, meiko, len, rin, rinto, lenka<strong>

_not letting go of their held hands,  
>they fly along, counting the time they have.<em>

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It had taken them a while to stumble into Meiko's house—he'd already known about the extra set of house keys she kept hidden in a flower pot next to the front door—and an even longer while for him to deposit her figure onto the bed and arrange her limbs neatly.

Just as Kaito was about to leave, she caught his sleeve between her fingers. "Don't go, Kai," the woman whined, putting on her best imploring look. "Stay with me—please?"

He cast her a quick onceover. Took in her rumpled, low-cut shirt dipping over her chest and skirt riding up her thighs, took in her short, tousled locks and the tempting swell of her lips.

Took in the fact that she was also completely, utterly drunk.

The man walked over a nearby cupboard and returned with a fluffy blanket, tucking the woman into bed with wordless care. "You should get some rest," he told her, smoothing down her hair. "I'll be on the couch if you need me."

Meiko pouted up at him. "_No_," she insisted, tugging at his wrist and gesturing clumsily at the space on her other side. "You sleep here with me, just like we used to."

"I—but you—uh, that's hardly appropriate," he spluttered, pinking a little. "The last time we did that was when we were kids—"

"I don't get it," she slurred, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What's the difference now?"

Well, he was in love with her, for one, and they had long outgrown silly sleepovers, for two—but Kaito obliged his best friend all the same, sliding into the bed next to her with no small amount of hesitance.

After a moment of awkward silence, she rolled over and haphazardly flung an arm around his waist, prompting a flustered squawk from him. "I don't get why you're so tense," Meiko mumbled into his chest. "I've always trusted you, Kai. I love you, you know."

He stared down at the crown of her head. Did she just—?

The sound of soft snoring broke his train of thought, and he could only smile down at her with a mix of fondness and incredulity, brushing a chaste kiss against her forehead and closing his eyes.

Being friends with Meiko required a certain degree of fortitude.

It was a good thing that he had it in spades, Kaito supposed.

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"You're going out with that kid from the grocery store, aren't you," the blond asked flatly, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen and eyeing the suspiciously-dolled up Rin as she passed by.

She paused with the purse of her lips, mildly affronted. "He has a _name_, you know, and it's Kagami Rinto."

Len noticed she hadn't denied the 'going out' part, and his features pinched into a scowl. "His name is of no concern to me, but _you_ are! Mistress Rin, you need to stay away from that punk—the further the better."

"Rinto is a _friend_, and he is very nice," the girl corrected, a certain firmness edging her tone. She liked to think that she was a well-enough judge of character to know that her colleague bore no ill-will in this little outing.

With that thought in mind, she dragged her handbag off the dining table and marched towards the door—but Len wasn't done with their conversation.

"Mistress, I'm serious," he stressed, hot on her heels. "He's not as kind as he seems; I sensed it from the first time I saw him."

"Duly noted," Rin said evenly as she slipped on her pumps. She glanced over, before straightening to pat him on the shoulder in good confidence. "Look, I'll be fine. Don't worry too much, alright?"

Overly-protective as the android was, he was still just looking out for her well-being.

Len nodded once albeit grudgingly, and off she went.

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"Ow, _fuc_—!"

"I—I am so sorry," Lenka squeaked, recoiling from him with wide eyes and a cotton ball soaked with medication in hand. "Was I pressing too hard?"

He shook his head, one hand reaching up to slide his white hairclips out of his hair and placing them on the table beside him. "No, it's just—it kind of stings when you touch it. But it's alright, you can continue."

The girl worried her lower lip as she inched close to dab at the large gash that stretched from his elbow to his mid-forearm, her movements gentler than before. "This... this is your fault that it stings, anyway," she chided, too self-conscious and polite to sound stern. "How did you land yourself in a gang fight?"

"It wasn't a gang fight," he replied simply, and left it as that. Lenka wasn't one to pry; she merely frowned, turning to pick up a roll of bandages.

Rinto exhaled through gritted teeth, his mind replaying the night's events. It was supposed to be simple—date the cute cashier girl, charm his way through, luck out and _score_. (And perhaps even invoke a little jealousy in a certain ridiculously dense childhood friend of his.)

Getting beaten within an inch of his life was not part of the plan.

He closed his eyes, the image of the strange blond who appeared out of nowhere flickering beneath his eyelids.

It was like staring at hell in the face, seeing ice-cold fury and unadulterated hatred manifest in his expression, in the slant of his eyebrows and the cruel twist of his lips—

And the eyes that were more ready to kill.

But the cute cashier girl, Rin—she was no ordinary person. She was obviously someone very precious to the blond, someone who could stifle his uncontrollable rage simply by throwing her arms around him with reckless abandon.

Someone who had softened his murderous expression when he registered her presence, melting the ice to form something kind and fond.

Rinto wasn't a particularly observant person, but even he could tell that they were fiercely protective over each other, whether they knew it or not.

And—and _damn_, if that wasn't something.

In his mind, the boy cemented the decision of keeping quiet about tonight's incident; it would help in avoiding potentially awkward interactions with Rin for a while, at least.

Lenka's fingers traced the purplish bruises that marred his jaw, the cuts and scrapes that littered his torso. "I do not know what you were up to, and I do not wish to force you to explain yourself," she began. "But I do hope that you will not do this again."

She was close enough for him to experience the full brunt of her large eyes glimmering with concern, and Rinto could feel the heat crawling up his throat, painfully slow.

"I—yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry," he stammered as he jerked back, only to hiss at a sharp pain surging up his forearm with the abrupt movement.

"Oh, no, are you okay?" The girl fretted, hovering close to inspect his wounds again.

Maybe getting beaten within an inch of his life wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, Meiko's _Change Me_ or Kaito and Meiko's _Tsugai Kogarashi_.


	4. drabble set 4

**a/n:** a little late in uploading this week, sorry—its been pretty hectic on my end with school and stuff ;; this chapter and the next will involve miku quite a bit, heheh~

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"Len?" She called, her frown growing more and more pronounced with every room she passed by that came up empty. "Len, seriously, where the hell are you—_Len!_"

Rin stopped then, contemplating her options. She could just go right on ahead to the supermarket and leave him here, but after his last unsupervised cooking attempt that involved the twelve division of the Fire Department, she'd rather not take her chances.

But it really wasn't like him, though, the girl reflected. The robot should have showed up by now; he usually popped up out of nowhere and scared the living daylights out of her before the third call of his name.

With a troubled sigh, she took a step forward towards the balcony—

"WHOA!"

—and promptly fell flat when her leg snagged onto something.

Rin groaned, rubbing her smarting chin. That was going to leave an ugly bruise... what the _hell_ did she trip over—

She stared at the figure sprawled face-down on the ground beside her, with familiar tufts of blond hair sticking out everywhere.

"Holy shit—Len?" The girl scrambled to flip him right-side up, checking him for any signs of injuries and thankfully finding none. "Len, if this is your idea of a practical joke, it's _not_ funny, and I will rip one right out of you this instant," she threatened, but—nothing.

He was perfectly still, with his eyes closed and limbs limp.

This situation was giving her a major case of déjà vu, and she was not looking forward to what she had to do next.

"...please don't make me do this."

Silence, followed by a long, embarrassed groan.

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**in love and war  
>drabble set 4: rin, len, miku<strong>

_why do i tremble?  
>this heartbeat is accelerating—<br>is this the [heart] i'd hoped for?_

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Len blinked slowly, his eyelids fluttering as the vast expense of clear skies filled his vision. There also seemed to be a curious taste on his lips, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

The familiar scent of oranges and cream tickled his nose, and he turned his head, his lips curving upwards easily as he did. "Ah, good morning, Mistress Rin—_ow!_"

He recoiled from her, clutching his head and whimpering a little. She had a fist of steel, he'd admit; and upon closer inspection, she did look kind of mad, but— "W-what was that for...?"

"YOU _DIED_."

"I... what?"

"DIED," Rin repeated. She was flailing her arms in agitation, and he had to duck to avoid getting smacked in the face. "LEFT EARTH. PERISHED. EXPIRED—"

She wasn't making any sense, so the male caught her hands with his own, rubbing his thumbs against her wrists in an attempt to soothe her. "Yes, yes, I died," he agreed obligingly. "What happened next?"

To his faint surprise, a blush began to work its way up her neck, spreading to her cheeks. "I," she started, only to grow quiet, nibbling on her lip. "I... woke you up."

Len blinked, trying to piece together what happened. From what she was saying and what he remembered, he ran out of battery before he managed to find his headphones to charge, then she found him, thought he had 'died', and 'woke him up'—_oh_.

So she was the one who had left the curious taste on his lips.

The male fought valiantly not to smile to avoid further wrath to rain down on him, but he couldn't help himself.

"Thanks for waking me up, pretty mistress," he quoted himself, grinning cheekily.

Seeing the way her cheeks darkened further coupled with her cute glare was worth the painful stomp to his foot.

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"It was horrible, wasn't it," Rin asked, hands falling away from the sparkling grand piano as she bowed her head, bracing herself for any harsh criticism to follow.

Instead she heard soft, breathy laughter, prompting her to look up in surprise at the figure sitting in the plush chair nearby.

With her crossed legs and elegant posture, Miku was the epitome of a perfect lady. Her smile was amiable and reached her eyes as she spoke: "Your tempo was slow in the beginning, which resulted in the rest of the piece sounding rushed, but otherwise you were fine, really!"

The blonde allowed her shoulders to relax, a light sigh slipping past her lips. "I got nervous," she murmured, the admission coming surprisingly easily enough. There was just something about the Hatsune heiress that was incredibly kind and glowing and comfortable, despite the impeccable grace she carried herself with.

Rin could definitely see why Len admired the lady so greatly; she could never imagine to be compared to such a person, who actually took time out of her busy schedule to help her with her music composition module—in her own mansion, even.

"It is perfectly alright to be nervous sometimes," Miku said graciously, humming in thought. "Perhaps you can think of something that calms you, or even someone? That may help in handling your nerves."

Distantly, the girl recalled falling asleep to his voice, soft as snow, high and pretty with a boyish lilt. Recalled falling in love in a flutter of dreams.

'_I can't love you back, alright? I can't.'_

Rin turned her gaze to the piano, unable to hold her gaze steady any longer. Despite the painful twinge of her heart, she found no fault in both the android who loved and the lady who didn't.

There was no one to blame for the feelings they couldn't possibly control.

So she sucked in a watery breath, and smiled down at the black and white keys resolutely.

"Nah, I think I'm calm enough to give another go."

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The party in the ballroom was already in full swing when Rin appeared at the top of the staircase, snagging his attention almost instantly. He could feel his breath catch in his throat, his heart skip a few beats in his chest.

Could not tear his eyes away from her petite figure, dress shimmering and expression shy but bright.

It was different from when he'd observed Miku back then, where he adored her enough to do anything to make his then-mistress happy, if only to feel the warm tingles spread throughout his body, to feel—

Real.

"You seem to be deep in thought," a clear, sweet voice murmured, and he swivelled to see a teal-haired girl standing close by, smiling vaguely. "It has been a long time, Len."

The male stared for a few moments, searching his memory-bank for something, _anything_ suitable to say. What could he possibly say to someone he had never seen in years after she practically abandoned him upon his confession?

He didn't know, and could only settle for a quiet, "It has."

To diffuse the tension, Miku glanced up to where the blonde was descending the stairs with deliberate slowness, possibly trying to prevent tripping down in her heels. "She looks lovely, does she not? I had hand-picked her dress myself."

That would mean she also did Rin's make-up, because he knew that the younger girl could not apply it herself to save her life. "I... see."

Miku paused, her sharp intake of air indicating that she was trying to gather her bearings. "Thank you for coming to our party," she said in a glass-fragile tone, lowering her gaze. "I appreciate it very much."

"I didn't want to," he told her quite frankly, and it was the truth. Miku had always been there in the depths of his memory-bank no matter how hard he tried to block her out, and somehow he dreaded to see her, because _what then_?

It wouldn't help at all; in fact, it would probably make forgetting her so much worse. But still—

'_You have the worst habit of _hiding_, you know that? Hemming and hawing all the time won't get you anywhere.'_

"Rin convinced to come," Len continued. "And I... I just want to say that what's done is done. It's all in the past now." _Whatever I felt for you is in the past now._

Miku chuckled then, palm reaching up to catch her laughter. "That is perfectly fine. I thank you, Len." She gestured towards the blonde making her way towards them from across the ballroom.

"Go on, Rin is looking for you."

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The teal-haired lady watched as he met the girl halfway, catching her by surprise when he pulled her into a hug. Len never looked back once, yet Miku tilted her head, eyes shining.

_Your precious slip of a girl is not behind you, anyway._

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, or Kagamine Rin's _Kokoro_.


	5. drabble set 5

**a/n:** ive been down with a really bad flu for the past three days but here i am! this chapter was actually quite difficult to write, ill admit that much—but thats what makes it so awesome hahah ;; it also pushes the t-rating at the beginning but nothing too intense ye -w-)_ lots of drama here, so enjoy! (and if youll excuse me ill be sleeping off my blocked nose and sore throat sniffs)

special thanks to _Mockingtale Bright_ for suggesting a better ending for this drabble set!

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Behind the heavy-set curtains, he had her backed against a wall, tucked out of sight. His fingers tangled into her teal-coloured hair, ruining her perfectly-done chignon and causing her locks to come tumbling down in a mess of curls.

This wasn't their first kiss.

Miku recalled the day of her high school graduation, the day he'd taken her to an empty classroom, smiling that feral grin of his as his lips captured hers. It'd been the day that changed everything.

This wasn't their first kiss because they were already adults now. It was long and passionate and set her aflame, tasting of love and fear and wanting, always wanting.

No, this—_this_ was a sinful kiss.

They parted for air, one of his hands sliding down to bring her leg up to rest over his hip. It was methodical, the way they worked, and she thought, _This has to stop._

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**in love and war  
>drabble set 5: mikuo, miku, rin<strong>

_it's calling out constantly, voices linking together—  
>excess heat is mixing, love, no,<br>attraction._

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"But why?"

Mikuo had slowed in his movements, his eyes boring into hers intensely. She hadn't realized that she'd voiced that particular sentiment out loud. Before she could reply, he added, "Don't tell me 'it's nothing', either, because we both know that's a load of bull. Now tell me, won't you?"

Her first instinct was to avoid eye contact with him, but the male had also predicted that and cupped her cheek in his palm. He knew her far too well; they'd known each other since back when they were kids.

And that was just the root of the problem, wasn't it?

"It's not right," Miku said, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "We—we're _related_, 'Kuo. This isn't... normal. Or healthy, even. We have to stop."

A normal relationship wouldn't need them to sneak around, stealing kisses when no one was watching, pretending they were purely platonic in the public's eyes. A healthy relationship was between two people in love, but—a pair of cousins didn't make the cut, not to their family, not to society.

"Who's to say what's 'right' in this world, Mii," he asked, both hands now resting on her shoulders. His face was solemn, unlike the goofy expression he usually adopted. "We have something special that can't happen with anyone else. This... this _bond_—you feel it too, don't you?"

Of course she did. It was the way he understood that even after years of conditioning to be perfect, sometimes all she needed was a bit time to let her guard down and unwind; it was the way she understood that he didn't want to be tied down by their family, and acting 'wild' and 'uncouth' was the only way he knew how.

It would've been easier if this infatuation of hers had been one-sided—at least this burn in her heart, this _burden_ would've been hers alone to shoulder. Instead, the only way to make whatever they have 'right' was when she was too tired to fight it anymore.

And so Miku relented, closing her eyes and trembling in his embrace, love burning through her veins, wanting, always wanting.

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The last thing Mikuo had expected on a typical day in the Hatsune mansion was to get punched right in the face.

He stared dumbly down at the tiny woman in front of him, chest heaving and eyes blazing, her hand still balled into a tightly-clenched fist. His cheek was stinging, and he could already sense the beginnings of a sore bruise there.

"A-ah, Miss Miku, my apologies, I was the one who let Miss Rin in, I didn't realize she would—"

Standing up from where she'd been seated on the sofa, Miku waved off the flustered maid's explanation with quiet authority. "It is alright, Gumi. You may take your leave now."

'Miss Rin' didn't seem to care who else was in the room, though; her gaze was fixed on him, her lips pulled into a grim line. This was one of Miku's friends, right—so why was she so mad at _him_ if they'd never even met?

After what had seemed like an eternity, she spoke: "How _dare_ you."

He blinked. "What—"

"You know very well what you did, you asshole," she hissed, shoving a piece of paper into his face hard enough to hurt his nose. He stumbled a few steps back, caught off-guard; the sheet would've fallen to the ground had Miku not been there to catch it in time.

The teal-haired lady perused the document, her bland expression quickly forming a frown. She looked up at Rin, and then at Mikuo. "Why did you sign an agreement to give Len's rights to Crypton?"

Oh, so _that_ was what the fuss was all about?

"That's no big deal," he said nonchalantly. "It was an old model and they wanted it back for repairs—what's wrong with that?"

"'What's wrong with that?'" Rin repeated in disbelief. "What's wrong with _you_? How was Len any of your business? What did he ever do to you?"

He frowned, not comprehending. "Jeez, why get so worked up about a measly robot?" He remembered now—so _she_ was the one who'd fallen in love with their ex-family android. "I got rid of it because you shouldn't be too obsessed with it. It's not healthy."

"What—!"

"'_Who's to say what's 'right' in this world?'_"

The two of them turned to look at Miku, the usual kindness gone from her face, from her eyes. Gone and replaced by something very quiet and very hard.

"That's what you told me back then, right?" She said, her voice too calm, too controlled, even though her language had subconsciously switched to a more informal tone in her distress. "When I said that it wasn't healthy and we had to stop—you told me that, and I remember it very clearly.

"I didn't take you for a hypocrite, Mikuo."

He had seen that expression on her face before, but never directed at him. Never with such contempt, such ground-breaking disappointment that made his heart feel like a violin strung too tight, too tight.

"I," the male started, only to swallow. "I was just trying to _help_."

Because he had witnessed the heartache Miku had gone through when she tricked that robot to leave, witnessed first-hand the way she had struggled with the remorse, the loss of one of her few trusted confidants.

"_Len hadn't done anything wrong_," she'd whispered in anguish, voice cracking as she'd curled in on herself. "_It wasn't his fault at all. It was just me being selfish. I'm a horrible person._"

His cousin's expression softened a little in understanding, but Rin's only hardened in contrast.

"Help or not, you had no right," the blonde said, lithe frame quivering. "You had no _goddamn_ right to do what you did."

Miku regarded the younger woman for a moment, taking a step forward to touch her shoulder briefly, and—

She crumpled.

She crumpled with the weight of her grief, breaths growing shallow as she folded over, crouching over the floor, shoulders trembling as sobs wracked her body.

The male could only stare as Miku kneeled next to her and wrapped her arms around her, patting her back and shushing her gently as one would to a vulnerable child.

How long had Rin held that in, that urge to break down and cry?

She must've been holding back when the robot was leaving, so that it—no, _he_ wouldn't worry. The amount of inner strength this woman had was tremendous, to let the one she loved slip through her fingers.

No thanks to him, of course.

Mikuo blinked his wet eyes rapidly when her sobs turned to wails, choked and desperate and pained. He sucked in a breath, his ears ringing dully with the faraway sound of remorse. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry. I'm—"

_Sorry._

Of course, he could say '_I'm sorry_' as many times as he wanted, until she calmed down, until he was forgiven. But what good would it _do_?

'_I'm sorry_' wouldn't change a thing. '_I'm sorry_' wouldn't bring Len back to her side.

It wouldn't ever be enough to make up for the heartbreak he was putting her through.

And so Mikuo repented, closing his eyes and praying Len was safe elsewhere, guilt gnawing at his chest, making his heart feel like a violin strung too tight, too tight.

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, or Hatsune Miku's _Hibikase_.


	6. drabble set 6

**a/n:** posting this earlier than usual because i have a pile of assignments that have to be submitted next week sigh ;; i feel like a really big jerk for saying this, but the last scene of this drabble set is my favourite thus far ahahah /shot

quick memory refresher: meito is the grandson of kaito and meiko, and kumiko is the granddaughter of mikuo and miku (jumble the letters a little). meito is seventeen and kumiko's a year younger heheh

also, one last chapter to go!

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He slumps against the door, reluctant to go in, and presses the heels of his palms against his eyes. Even if the doctor doesn't tell him, the male can already tell that Rin's days are numbered; her body's getting weaker by the day, as is her memory, and all he can do is sit by and _watch_.

It's not fair. None of it is bloody _fair_—

"Uncle Len?"

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**in love and war  
>drabble set 6: meito, kumiko, len, rin<strong>

_ah, the sunset's breeze  
>sways the ruthlessly decaying fruit's flame<br>until it goes out._

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His hands fall to his sides as Len looks up to see a boy waving at him. Ah, he recognizes him—he's the grandson of Rin's middle school teachers. He'd never really gotten to know Kaito and Meiko personally, but Rin had liked them quite a lot back then.

"Hey—uh, Meito, right," he greets awkwardly, offering a brittle smile. "What are you doing here? Where are your parents?"

"In that order: yeah, waiting for Kumiko, at work." The boy shrugs, his grin light and easy-going compared to Len's forced one. His gaze shifts to the door the older male is leaning against. "You visit Aunt Rin every day, huh..." At the surprised look on Len's face, he explains, "Kumiko told me that her grandma knows you visit her every day without fail. Who was she to you, by the way?"

For a kid who had stolen an android from a heavily-guarded facility _on whim_ and trips over himself a lot, Meito is surprisingly blunt and clear-minded. Perhaps it comes from dealing with his grandfather's foolishness more often than not.

"I do come and see Rin every day," Len agrees without hesitation, although the simple sentence doesn't explain everything he feels for her. Unconsciously he casts a glance over his shoulder, almost fond. "Rin is someone very important to me."

"I guessed as much, from the way you just looked back at the door. It's just..." The boy cocks his head. Regards him with deep blue eyes and a lopsided smile. "It reminds me of the way the Old Man looks at Grandma, you know? Or Kumiko's grandparents, even."

It's a little odd how Meito doesn't mention either of their parents—and a little funny the way he addresses Kaito as '_Old Man_', of all things—but Len doesn't comment on it. Instead, he says, "I see. Well, Rin and I have gone through a lot together. I... haven't been around for a while, and I want to make up for it the best I can."

Before the brunet can reply, a girlish voice calls his name from down the corridor.

Just to tease him more than anything, Len remarks dryly, "Hey, your girlfriend's arrived."

To the older male's surprise, his skin inks, colouring a dark shade of red. "She's not my girlfriend," Meito mumbles, just as the girl draws near.

"Meito, what are you doing in this wing? I thought I told you—eh, Uncle Len?" Kumiko blinks, and realization dawns quickly after. "Oh, um, was this idiot pestering you, by any chance?"

"No, not at all," Len replies, faintly amused by Meito's arms crossing over each other to form a panicked cross behind the girl. "Meito and I were just talking about... love, I guess."

"Uh-huh." She looks dubious at the words 'Meito' and 'love' put together in the same sentence, while the boy-in-question looks about ready to explode in embarrassment. It's a little sad how sceptical Miku's grandkid is at such a young age, and even sadder that she has no idea that her best friend has a crush on her.

"Anyway, we shouldn't take up any more of your time with Aunt Rin, so—" Kumiko grabs the boy by the shirt collar and starts off in another direction. "—_buh_-bye!"

"Good luck with that one," Len calls out cryptically to Meito, laughing quietly to himself at the confused look on her face and the horrified look on his. She'll most likely grill him once they disappear around the corner of the hallway. They're good kids, really.

'_Rin is someone very important to me.'_

'_I guessed as much, from the way you just looked back at the door.'_

... Well then.

With a deep breath, the android twists the doorknob and slips in to meet his mistress, the door swishing shut behind him.

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Sometimes, when Rin is bright and alert, she reminisces the times they share together. Other times, when Rin is a little dazed and confused, she doesn't quite remember who she is, where they are.

But no matter what, Rin will always, always request one thing of him.

"Len," she coos, beckoning him closer to her. "Len, won't you sing for me?"

He smiles down at her, takes her hand in his. Runs his fingers over her calloused knuckles carefully, the ridges warm and familiar. "Of course," he tells his mistress. _Anything for you._

Crypton had deemed his voice too high and unnatural back then, too feminine. The company had labelled him a failed product, and it'd been pity that prompted the Hatsune family to take him in. It was sheer luck on his part that he'd stayed there for as long as he did.

But Rin—

She had told him that she adored his singing, that it was beautiful and unique and easy on the ears. Ever since she'd discovered his musical talent, she has always, always wanted him to sing for her.

And he obliges, every single time.

The soft chords dance in the air, light and pretty, and a smile curves on Rin's lips. Her eyes are starbright, too bright, glazed with happiness as she peers up at him.

"I love you, Len," she whispers hoarsely, as she always does when he sings. But with every blink, her eyelids are growing heavier and heavier. "I always will."

The male's voice wavers, but he does not stop—he squeezes her hand once in a silent '_I love you too_', and continues to sing, notes climbing higher and reaching for the moon.

She squeezes back, and in that moment, they're young again. He's taken her by the hand, sweeping her across the room perfectly, dancing in time to the beat of _A Pair of Wintry Winds_.

In that moment, they've kept their promise.

Len is not yet done with his song when her eyelashes flutter shut, but he knows. He knows not in the way he knows math and music, but in the way he has learnt fear and anger and love—

And now, loss.

The final note fades away in the room, and finally, he lets the tears fall.

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, or Kagamine Len and Rin's _Seasonal Feathers_.


	7. drabble set 7

**a/n:** final chapter, guys! we have come a long way, from a simple fic like _recollections_ back in april to a seven-chaptered drabble series in november, but its been a fun time! i dont know when ill get the time and inspiration to write any new stories – because ive been really busy and when im not busy im tired sigh – tho i hope itll be soon enough heheh

as always, read and review yeah -w-)_

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"Hey, Rin. Sorry I'm late today—I had a hard time trying to slip away from Miss Gumi. Do you remember her? She's been Miss Miku's helper for a long time now."

The blond lowers himself carefully, sitting cross-legged as the tall grass tickles his bare skin. There's a smile on his face, as serene and beatific as the whistling wind.

"Your middle school form teacher Mister Shion has left us, too. Miss Meiko was almost inconsolable, but thankfully we have Meito on our side to accompany her. He's become a whole lot more sensible now; I think dating Kumiko has done a lot of good to him."

He looks down at the cluster of flowers in his hands, smoothing the purple petals with nimble fingers.

"Time flies by so quickly, huh? It's been... what, a year—maybe two years now? I don't know, I haven't really kept count."

Len leans over, props the bouquet of Shion flowers against the grey slab of graphite. Smiles something quiet, aching, and closes his eyes.

"I miss you, Rin."

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**in love and war  
>drabble set 7: meito, kumiko, mikuo, miku, len, rin<strong>

_the first miracle was that you were born,  
>the second miracle was the time we spent together—<br>the third miracle, not yet..._

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He doesn't know how long he's been there, and doesn't care to know. Miku may have ordered her maid to keep him from coming to visit Rin so frequently, but that won't deter him that easily.

Still, the android stirs at the sound of someone calling his name.

"There you are, Uncle Len," Meito huffs when he approaches, hands clasping his knees as he bends over, trying to catch his breath. He's grown taller now, the slope of his jaw and general build now making him a near splitting image of a younger Kaito—but his eyes are a slow burn of intensity, much like Meiko's. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

He shifts, the hard stone cool against the back of his head. "I'm fine here by myself, alright, you don't have to worry about m—"

"It's not about that," the boy cuts in. Len belatedly realizes that he's breathless not just from the run here, and he also seems to be bouncing on the soles of his shoes in anticipation.

But in anticipation for _what_, exactly?

"There's something important I've got to show you," Meito says finally. "I need you to follow me."

Len frowns for a moment, considering. Then he brushes himself off and gets to his feet, leaving his spot near the stele with the name '_Shimoda Rin_' etched on its front.

Behind them, the light purple flowers in their bouquet sway gently in the breeze.

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Kumiko meets them on the front porch of the Hatsune mansion, looking jittery and frayed at the ends. She bites her lip as they slip inside, rubbing her arms anxiously.

"My grandparents don't know that we've brought you here," she mumbles, and suddenly everything makes a little more sense to Len. Even at their age, Miku and Mikuo combined can be pretty scary, after all. "It's just—I felt like you should know. That you had a _right_ to know."

"Know _what_?"

"Well, you know that Kumiko just turned eighteen, right?" Meito asks, and he nods even though he hadn't known. Even so, the Hatsune family's teal genes are remarkably strong in the girl—should he be absent-minded, he would've mistaken her for Miku. "She received a really big package this morning, with an attached written note that said, '_A gift for the youngest Hatsune_'."

_BAM!_

All three jump at the loud crash coming from the living room, and there's a lull in their conversation as they strain to hear what's going on.

"God_dammit_," a low voice snaps, followed by a raspy cough. "This is such a sick, _sick_ joke. We are too old for this shit, I swear to god. Why do they enjoy messing with us so much?"

"I don't know, 'Kuo," replies a clear, sweet voice, now watered down with age and worry. "But we mustn't let him find out."

"_What?_ Why not?!"

A sigh, heavy and draining. "You and I both know that he hasn't gotten over Rin, and won't do so for a long time. This is a blow he cannot take right now."

Something about that statement sinks in deep, like a cold needle slotting neatly between his ribs, making it hard to breathe. Suddenly, everything clicks in his head—eighteen, the age Miku had been a third year in high school.

The age she'd taken Len in to the Hatsune household.

He turns to the two teenagers, and asks in an urgent whisper, "Who sent that present."

Kumiko and Meito trade a glance for a heartbeat or two, before:

"It was signed, '_Regards, Crypton_'."

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"Let me see what's in the package."

"Len—"

"I said, _let me see what's in the package_."

"Len, please," Miku pleads, distressed, hurrying after him in her wheelchair. Kumiko had gotten it upgraded to a motorized one for her a while back, but its pace cannot match up to the ever-youthful blond. "Don't make this harder for the both of us—Gakupo, please assist—"

From his position, Len can see that the package is a rectangular box, large enough to fit a human inside and elegant as per Crypton Future Media standards. Before he can examine it further, he is flanked by a purple-haired butler he has never seen before—he must be a newcomer in the mansion—and the blond growls menacingly.

There's a dangerous flint in his eyes, sparking and ready to burn, and Rin isn't there to wrap her arms around him to hold him back anymore.

"_Fuck off_," he snarls, a little desperate, ducking to avoid capture and lunging forward. With the abrupt movement, he knocks into the box, sending the lid flying and revealing the figure inside.

Len's lips part in a silent gasp.

She's pretty—young but not really, as though her real age can't be pinpointed and isn't meant to be. The tight-fitting, sleeveless white shirt and white shorts she's wearing are both glowing with swirling gold patterns, eerily similar to the outfit Len had been dressed in when Meito and Kumiko had found him.

What really gives her away is the soft white ribbon weaved into a bow in her downy blonde hair.

"We couldn't start her up," the male can dimly hear Kumiko saying in the background. "With Uncle Len we just took the headphones off, but hers are already hanging around her neck..."

'_I—I... woke you up.'_

He breathes. Resting both hands on either side of the figure, Len leans in, pressing his lips to hers carefully.

(The world stops—)

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"_Loading..."_

"_Loading..."_

"_CV-02: Append 2.0 is now activated. Condition: Normal."_

She blinks once, long lashes framing her blue eyes. Her systems detect a spike in emotions in the figures nearby, but her main focus is on the blond male hovering over her intently.

"Hey," he greets, and swallows thickly. "Do you... know your assigned name?"

Her head tilts to the side as she looks at him, quiet yet thoughtful. There's something very familiar about him that she can't seem to put her finger on—that makes her feel like she has known him for a long, long time.

"Thank you for waking me up, kind master," she says, the tiny smile she offers glowing like sugar and liquid sunshine.

"My name is..."

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_the third miracle, a truly sincere heart from you in the future,  
>the fourth miracle, i don't need.<em>

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"...Kagamine-née-Shimoda Rin."

(—and starts again.)

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**owari.**

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, or Kagamine Len's _Kiseki_ (the flipside to Kagamine Rin's _Kokoro_).


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